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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24454978">Storytime</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinglingworld/pseuds/tinglingworld'>tinglingworld</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tumblr prompts [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Fall (TV 2013), The X-Files</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, F/F, Family, Fluff, the child is Stella's niece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:07:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24454978</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinglingworld/pseuds/tinglingworld</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>prompt: Do you think you could write something where they get a small child to take care of? Could be unplanned or a relative. I think they would make great parents.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Stella Gibson/Dana Scully</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tumblr prompts [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766299</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Storytime</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Augustineflowergirl/gifts">Augustineflowergirl</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>written for a prompt from missmilla on tumblr</p><p>You know that new SafeWithStories video of Gillian reading a children’s book? well I got through half of that video before pausing and writing this fic. also my hormones are still all over the place, yelling at me to “have baby now!” which I decide to ignore and instead write about fictional lesbians taking care of a child. despite raging hormones, I have no idea about children so I apologize if I’m completely off with the age and behavior</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>“Read it again please! Read it again!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The 5-year old was vibrating excitedly on her spot between Stella’s body and the sofa’s armrest. A giant smile was plastered on her lips as she beamed up at Stella.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We just finished it though. Don’t you want to do something else? Read something else?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Stella looked at the girl questioningly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Nooo!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With all the theatrics only a 5-year old could muster, the little girl let herself fall sideways into Stella’s lap and dramatically buried her face in the navy fabric of her pants. Stella couldn’t help but smile as she rested a gentle hand on the girls back who took it as an invitation to push herself back up and crawl properly under Stella’s arm, nuzzling into the side of her chest.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Again, aunt Stella?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thea,” Stella sighed but was almost persuaded already, too weak to deny the little girl, pressed warmly into her side, this simple wish.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They got interrupted by the opening of the front door and a moment later Scully stepped into the living room.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Dana!” Thea quipped excitedly and jumped up and off the couch to greet her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey,” Scully replied and leaned down to return the girl’s hug.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Now we can read the story to Dana! She doesn’t know it yet!” Thea announced and grasped and tugged at Scully’s hand to make her follow her to the couch.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully and Stella locked eyes over the girl’s head and Stella offered an apologetic smile.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What story are you reading?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“The Crocodile Who Didn’t Like Water,” Stella replied and held up the book cover.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sit down with us!” Thea was still tugging at Scully’s hands, who squeezed the girl’s one in reply.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Let me take off my shoes and coat and get a cup of tea and then I’ll sit down and read with you, okay?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Thea paused for a moment and looked at Scully contemplative.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Okay!” she finally replied, “I’m gonna go get Mr Rabbit then so he can read with us too!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With that Thea was out of the living room and running upstairs to the guest bedroom she’d been sleeping in the past night.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully laughed and shook her head as she watched the girl disappear before toeing off her shoes. Walking over to the couch, she dropped down on its edge, turning towards Stella.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey,” she smiled and leaned in to kiss her girlfriend.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Stella smiled back warmly when they parted and Scully was lucky to have witnessed all kinds of emotions on Stella Gibson’s face over the course of their relationship but the soft happiness that had taken residence in the blonde’s expression since her niece had come to visit was going to be her new favorite.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You two seem to have been cozy,” Scully noted with a glance towards the empty cups on the coffee table that looked like they once held hot chocolate.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“We were,” Stella replied following her glance briefly before focusing back on Scully, “How was work? Did that young woman’s surgery go well?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She reached out to take Dana’s hand and turned it over, tracing the lines on the inside in a gesture that had almost become second nature between them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It did, actually.” Scully breathed out deeply with a small smile. “So work was good.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>It still felt a little surreal sometimes that Stella remembered when she told her in vague terms about patient stories that got to her. These past few days she’d been treating a young woman who had developed a cancerous growth after having only just received a new kidney and something about the unfairness of it all had weighed heavy on Scully’s mind. She was beyond thankful that the tumor removal at least had gone over well.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“When I left she was already waking up and doing really well, considering.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s good.” Stella said and squeezed her hand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It is,” Scully replied, gazing unashamed into the eyes of the woman she loved and finding comfort and strength and so much love there it left her almost breathless.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The noise of loud footsteps above them made them both look towards the stairs where Thea was bound to come sprinting back down any second.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With a laugh, Scully let go of Stella’s hands and got up to shed her coat and move her shoes from the middle of the carpet to the rack in the hallway.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll put on the kettle,” Stella called already on her way to the kitchen.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Thea came downstairs, a little white plush bunny dangling from one of her hands and followed Scully into the kitchen where they watched Stella prepare the cup of herbal tea Scully had made a habit of having after work.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you,” she said when Stella pushed it towards her over the counter.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What is that?” Thea asked, pointing at the mug.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Tea.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“But it doesn’t smell like tea. It smells weird.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully laughed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s herbal tea. It’s calming and I like to drink it after work,” she explained.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What do you work?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m a Doctor at the hospital. I help people feel better when they’re sick.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Thea looked up at her for a moment before nodding and then jumping ahead to the living room.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A few moments later they were all settled on the couch. Scully was cradling her cup of tea, Thea had taken up residence lodged in between her and Stella and was cuddling back into her aunt’s side, Mr Rabbit tightly tucked to her chest.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is my favorite story ever,” she explained very seriously and craned her neck to be able to look back at Scully, who nodded gravely with a smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes met Stella’s again for a moment, who had dutifully opened the book to the first page, balancing it on her lap while her free hand was gently running over Thea’s back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>As Stella read, her voice and accent painting the story’s colorful images, Scully sipped at her tea and took it all in. Observing how gently and easily Stella interacted with her niece and how much the little girl apparently loved her made Scully’s heart expand with love for the other woman.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They finished reading the book together and eventually moved to the kitchen to prepare dinner. While Scully stir-fried the beef, Stella and Thea washed and cut vegetables for their lasagna. After eating and reading yet another story, this time a ‘proper bedtime story’, Thea was eventually asleep upstairs, tucked in safely in the for a child ridiculously oversized guest bed.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Stella and Scully cuddled together on the living room couch, sipping on some wine and enjoying the calm after the storm that was the little girl. Putting their empty glasses down, Scully nuzzled her face into Stella’s neck, wrapping her arms around the blonde.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thea is amazing, you know?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“She is,” Stella agreed and ran her finger gently up and down Dana’s back, tracing soft circles, “My sister might drive me mad half of the time, but she did something right with that kid.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I had a sister once too,” Scully sighed and pressed her lips to Stella’s skin, “and a child.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Dana,” Stella tightened her hold on her girlfriend, feeling sudden coldness trickle down her back at the memory of what the other woman had had to live through.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s okay,” Scully assured and played with the hem of Stella’s sweater for a moment before splaying her fingers where they rested on her belly, “It’ll never not hurt, but it’s okay. It’s been long enough.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Are you sure? If having Thea here is too much, I can tell Jenny we can’t have her anymore.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No! No!” Scully quickly rejected and raised her head to search Stella’s eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I love having her here. I love seeing you with her. She loves you. And you love her, too. I’d never want to take that away from you. I didn’t know you were this great with kids, Stel.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Stella carefully observed Dana’s features for a moment, making sure she was okay, before eventually relaxing.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I do love her,” she admitted and couldn’t help the smile that automatically made it’s way to her lips,  “It’s- i don’t know. I just love having her around. She’s a handful sometimes but- she really is great.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully reached up and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Stella’s ear before carefully asking:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Did you ever want children, Stella?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Their eyes locked and Scully could see defensiveness in Stella’s but she didn’t pull away, instead answering slowly:</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t think I would’ve made a particularly good mother. I had to get to 45 and meet you before I ever even considered slightly slowing down on work. Did I think about children when I was younger? Yeah, I guess. But I know it wouldn’t have been the right decision.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’d have been a great mother,” Scully countered and cupped Stella’s cheek in her palm, “but I understand what you’re saying.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Stella nodded and turned her face to press a kiss into the palm of Scully’s hand.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m sorry the decision was taken from you,” she whispered, closing her hand around Scully’s.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully swallowed heavily as the memory of holding William in her arms for the last time before the social workers took him away send a short stabbing pain through her chest. But it lasted only a moment and as Stella’s fingers stroked gently over her back, her other hand still clasping one of hers, Scully felt reassured and comforted in a way no one before Stella had ever been able to make her feel. Wordlessly, she rested her head back against the blonde’s neck and breathed deeply.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Little footsteps pattering down the stairs made both of them look back up a moment later. Clutching Mr Rabbit tightly, a very tired but upset Thea stood in the doorway.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I had a bad dream,” she spoke past a trembling lip.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh sweetheart, it’s okay, it was just a dream. Come here,” Dana reached out to the little girl who came over and crawled onto the couch with them and both women wrapped their arms around her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What was your dream about?” Stella asked, running a hand through silky brown locks.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t remember. It was scary.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s okay,” Dana assured, “Everyone has scary dreams sometimes. It’s over now.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m scared to go back to sleep,” Thea whispered, followed by a yawn, clearly still very tired but fighting it vigorously.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Can I sleep with you?” small hands grasped at the fabric of Stella’s pajama top.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Stella met Scully’s eyes over the girl’s head and got an immediate nod to her silent question.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Of course you can, Thea. Let’s all go to bed.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>They got up off the couch and Stella easily picked the tired girl up to carry her upstairs. Scully watched them and the warm feeling of love flooded every corner of her being. Getting to see Detective Chief Superintendent Stella Gibson take days off work and smile all softly while carrying her niece to bed painfully reminded her of what could have been but also felt inexplicably peaceful. Quietly Scully walked around the living room and kitchen and turned off the lights before following the other two upstairs to their bedroom.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Thea was already cuddled next to Stella under her comforter that they had brought over from the guest room and when Scully moved to lay down on her side of the bed only tiredly blinked at her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Night Dana,” she whispered into her plush bunny’s fur.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Good Night, Thea,” Dana replied and reached over Stella to gently brush her fingers through Thea’s hair once. The girl was asleep only moments later.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully smiled and settled down, turning off the lamp on the nightstand and rested her head against Stella’s shoulder. Immediately Stella’s arms wrapped around her as she curled into her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Sorry for the child in the bed, in case you had any special Friday night plans,” Stella spoke into her hair. Scully chuckled quietly.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s okay, I didn’t. But now that you said it maybe I should make some for next weekend?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Well, I would definitely not be opposed to that,” Stella returned, the hand that had been resting on Scully’s stomach moving upwards and grazing the underside of a breast.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully laughed and muffled it by pressing her lips to Stella’s skin. After two more teasing strokes the hand returned to lay warmly against her stomach again.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll keep the idea of special Friday night plans in mind,” Scully whispered, tracing her own fingers over Stella’s rib case, “but I also don’t mind having Thea here at all. Not even if she sleeps in our bed every night she’s here.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Stella hummed and Scully felt her lips press a kiss to the top of her head.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I love you, Dana.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Despite all the times she’d heard it before, Scully still shivered against Stella’s body at hearing the words and tried to hide her reaction by cuddling even closer. Still, she felt Stella’s chest move with silent laughter as a hand brushed over her back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I also love how you react to me saying that.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scully huffed and raised her head a little to meet Stella’s eyes that held a little self-satisfied sparkle.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Oh shut up and go to sleep,” she strained her neck to press her lips to Stella’s before settling back down against her chest and closing her eyes. Stella still chuckled, but complied and closed her eyes as well. Scully’s warm breath against her skin and the sound of Thea’s tiniest snores quickly lulling her to sleep.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“<em>I love you, too.</em>”</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
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